


Lucky Guess

by usachanbeccer



Category: Miraculous Ladybug, ladybug - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Gen, Mostly silly, None of these chapters relate, Same Story, This is what my life has come to, but you know, totally based on requests
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-31
Updated: 2017-04-28
Packaged: 2018-09-13 18:50:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 14,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9136981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/usachanbeccer/pseuds/usachanbeccer
Summary: Being a teenager with a secret can be hard, especially if it's that you're an amazing crime fighter! Hey, even heroes make mistakes sometimes. We can't keep secrets forever, even the big ones. A series of accidental reveals from ideas created by my best friend Alapest and myself. I am taking requests! Slight Ladynoir in some drabbles.Also posted on my fanfiction dot net page!





	1. T-shirts, a Risky Business

**Author's Note:**

> What?! A non-Voltron story?! Posted by me?! What is the world coming to?!?! I don't know, but this is what I was working on right before switching over from fanfiction dot net to here. So I'm moving it over here to join my Voltron stuff!  
> Prompt: Chat Noir and Ladybug give each other "I'm Stupid" "I'm with Stupid" t-shirts and then accidentally wear them to school   
> ~Enjoy!

**A/N: Ahahahaha! I did it! I finally got around to starting this burning flame of headcannons! My friend, the wonderful Alapest and I have been coming up with just amazing ways for Chat Noir and Ladybug to reveal their secret identities to each other on accident. And yes, this is what this is.**

**Drabble Idea: Chat Noir and Ladybug give each other "I'm Stupid" "I'm with Stupid" t-shirts and one of them accidentally wears it to school.**

**~Enjoy!**

* * *

 

Chat Noir stood on the rooftop, smiling a Cheshire grin at Ladybug, he had the best Christmas present for the girl in the entire history of great Christmas presents.

 

"What's with the face, kitty?" She asked, crossing her arms as the the boy dressed like a cat handed her a small paper bag with something in it.

 

"I don't know when your birthday is, but it is almost Christmas, so I'm giving you this now!" Chat Noir smiled, watching Ladybug as she broke her wary expression with one of amusement.

 

"It's only the tenth, you silly kitty," she pointed out, making no move to grab the bag, instead reaching for her pouch on her hip, also grabbing out a small wrapped box.

 

"That didn't seem to stop you, my lady," Chat chuckled, taking a step closer and hanging the bag by the handles on her hand.

 

"Stop teasing or I'll take it back," the dark haired girl scolded, tightening her grip on the bag as she handed off the box she had wrapped for the cat.

 

"On three?" Chat nodded and started counting with his lady.

 

"One, two, three!" The boy opened up his present to reveal a folded up white piece of fabric. He delicately took the fabric out and unfolded it, revealing a t-shirt with a very... interesting design.

 

"My lady, this is a cat, correct?" He asked, staring at the t-shirt in an unreadable expression.

 

"Yes, silly kitty, it's a cat." Ladybug laughed, holding a t-shirt of her own, only this one only had the words "I'm with stupid" printed on it in bold, black letters. Chat Noir no doubt had the matching t-shirt.

 

"Then why is... why does this cat think he's a dog person?" Chat asked, referring to the quote bubble that had the cat saying "I'm a dog person, really". He was trying really hard not to be amused with the gift, but he wasn't succeeding, his lady really knew how to make him laugh.

 

"I thought you were a dog person, but you're a cat, so it seemed fitting." Ladybug shrugged, tossing the empty bag in the dumpster that sat in the alley below the building they were stationed at.

 

Chat Noir gave a laugh, folding the shirt up before tucking it into one of the surprisingly large pockets on his suit.

 

Ladybug folded up her own gift and tucked it into her pouch. "Well, I think we've stalled long enough, one loop around Paris before calling it a night?" She turned a questioning look at her partner to see if he agreed with the plan.

 

Chat nodded, "I think so, but first-" Chat Noir wrapped his lady into a tight hug, lifting the smaller hero off her feet a bit as he swayed side to side, He laughed as she gave a shriek at the sudden contact and absence of ground beneath her feet as he swung her gently side to side.

 

"Merry Christmas, my lady!"

 

Ladybug laughed along with the boy as she hugged back, getting him to set her back on her feet, but still embracing her.

 

"Merry Christmas, you silly kitty."

 

Marinette wasn't the only one to notice that Adrien was tired, but she was the most interested with his attire. Adrien was wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt, he would occasionally wear sweats on the first day of the school week, especially if he had had photo-shoots and modeling gigs all weekend, but the concerning part of his outfit was the t-shirt.

 

The t-shirt was a small black cat declaring itself as a dog person. The t-shirt was the exact t-shirt she had given Chat Noir just a few days ago for their impromptu Christmas gift giving. Marinette had to figure out where Adrien got the shirt, he couldn't possibly be Chat Noir, could he?

 

Alya nudged the dark haired girl with her elbow, trying to get her to pay attention to the lesson, finals were coming up and they were going over the review at the moment.

 

Marinette nodded, pushing her thoughts about Chat and Adrien to the back of her mind and focusing on the lesson, she didn't want to fail, after all.

 

After class, Marinette did something she had always dreamed of, she walked up to Adrien confidently and talked to him like a normal person, well, almost normal.

 

He was standing by himself at his locker, staring at it as he tried to think what books he needed to take home for the day.

 

"Hey, hi, uh, Adrien! I was, uh, I like your shirt!" She stammered, trying to collect her thoughts long enough to figure out where the boy of her dreams got the one of a kind t-shirt she made for her partner-in-crime-fighting.

 

"Huh? Oh, thanks, Marinette," Adrien replied groggily, visibly suppressing a yawn as he turned to face the girl. He rubbed his eyes, the sleepless nights of patrols and modeling getting to him.

 

"Yeah, where'd you get it?" She smiled warmly up at the boy, and he smiled back, he was starting to focus on the conversation they were having.

 

"Oh, my friend got it for me, early Christmas present." He shrugged, shutting his locker door, he had given up on trying to find the books he needed.

 

"Oh? That's nice, well, I'll see you on patrol tonight, Chat?"

 

"Yeah, see you then," Adrien yawned and gave a wave over his shoulder and turned to walk away, unaware that he'd let his secret identity slip out with the yawn.

 

Adrien got to the front doors before he realized he had not only let his alter ego be known to Marinette, but he had also left her at his locker right after he had told her.

 

Adrien spun around and ran back to Marinette, almost taking out three people in his haste to get to the dark haired girl that stood frozen at his locker.

 

"How did you, I mean, I'm not, what you heard was... What?!" He frantically spat out, his mind everywhere as the girl just stared at him in utter disbelief.

 

"Marinette, are you okay?" Adrien waved his hand in front of her face, trying to snap her out of her staring at him like he had grown another head.

 

"I can't believe it, I cannot believe it, oh my god," she finally spoke, her voice hushed as her eyes grew wide and she began to process all the information.

 

"You're Chat Noir, oh no, you are Chat Noir and I, oh my gosh, okay," she blinked at him, his eyes growing more panicky as she repeated his alter ego's name.

 

"Can we, uh, can we go somewhere else?" He hissed, grabbing the girl's hand and gently tugging her towards the door as she nodded.

 

It took them a short walk to get to Marinette's bakery, where they sat at the counter "watching" the shop for Marinette's mom as she went to run a few errands.

 

"Okay, so let me get this straight: you're Chat Noir and you have a Kwami named Plagg- yes you can have some bread, you silly kitty-!" Marinette covered her mouth, the nickname slipping out as the blond boy had a roll of bread in his hand, held up with a quizzical look in his eye.

 

"You're Ladybug?" He asked, setting the roll down slowly as he leaned forward, trying to read the girl's expression.

 

Marinette gave a small nod, her hands never leaving her mouth, even as the boy laughed at the revelation.

 

"Ha, I should've known, I am indeed a silly kitty, eh?" He laughed, grabbing the roll and tearing it into two halves, offering one to the girl, to his partner-in-crime-fighting.

 

"My lady?" He smiled as she rolled her eyes, uncovering her mouth and taking the offered piece of bread.

 

"You silly kitty."

 

They tapped their pieces together, as if toasting the secrets that were revealed, before eating the bread and talking like two long lost best friends, after all, isn't that what they were?

 


	2. This is Kind of Hawkward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir, Ladybug, and bird puns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: That one scene in Invader Zim where GIR pops out of a turkey

"You know, this guy is really FOWL," Chat laughed, dodging yet another taxidermy bird that was flew off the wall, spinning dangerously fast.

 

"Stop telling dumb puns and destroy his terrifying wall of taxidermied animals!" Ladybug sighed, snatching the akuma-possessed man's arm and pulling her yo-yo taught to keep him in place.

 

"As you wish, my lady," Chat Noir winked at the red and black spotted girl as he leapt over to the wall to destroy it with cataclysm.

 

With a swift flick of his wrist, he destroyed the wall with his claws and sent it tumbling down, taking away the possessed man's defences. "All yours, Ladybug!" He shouted, hopping back to get out of her wave of attacks, he only had five minutes until his transformation wore off, they had to defeat this guy quickly.

 

"Right!" She ran to the man and grabbed the feather necklace dangling from his neck, yanking on it to snap it off his neck.

 

"Toucan play at that game, Ladybug!" The man shouted, yanking the yo-yo from Ladybug's hand, causing the girl to give a sharp "hey!" before tossing the pendant to Chat Noir.

 

Chat caught it easily, "Thanks my lady, owl always appreciate it!" He winked at the girl as she scowled at him.

 

"Shut up and smash it," She sighed, using her newly freed hands to take back her yo-yo from the possessed man.

 

"Swanderful idea, Ladybug!" Chat Noir threw the pendant on the floor and stepped on it for good measure, smashing it into bits.

 

The black and purple butterfly flew out of the necklace and up to the ceiling, trying to escape to possess another human and cause havoc, no doubt.

 

"Not so fast, you evil bug!" Ladybug snatched the akuma up easily, purifying it and setting it free easily, unaware of the beeping from Chat Noir's ring.

 

Chat walked over to the red and black spotted woman and gave her a fist bump, their voices shouting, "mission accomplished!" in unison, followed by Ladybug's giggle.

 

"What's that about, my lady?" Chat Noir asked, raising his eyebrow.

 

"Nothing, it's nothing." She took a deep breath, not looking Chat in the eye, oh she was hiding something from the boy alright.

 

"It's definitely something."

 

Ladybug looked up at him that time, a mischievous twinkle in her eye as she spoke, "well I'm not telling you, feather you like it or not."

 

Chat Noir and Ladybug stared at each other for a moment, both blinking in the aftermath of Ladybug's terrible pun. It was terrible.

 

Chat Noir blinked once more before taking in how proud the girl before him looked of that terrible pun and he couldn't help it, he was laughing really loudly at the female superhero.

 

"Hey! I worked really hard on that one, silly kitty!" She huffed, stomping her foot and puffing out her cheeks in embarrassment, her cheeks slowly turning red as the boy continued laughing at her terrible joke.

 

"I can tell, my lady! Leave the j-" Chat Noir was cut off by a rapid beeping, he was out of time, he had nowhere to hide, Ladybug was about to see the boy behind the mask. That couldn't happen.

 

Ladybug heard the beeps too, reacting quickly and shoving her partner behind a stuffed turkey in the room. She barely got on the other side of the turkey before a blinding flash went off, showing his transformation changing.

 

A blond head popped up on the other side of the turkey, peeking out from behind the turkey's feathers, accidentally revealing his citizen self to his partner-in-crime-fighting.

 

Ladybug blinking in shock as Adrien stared at her from behind a turkey.

 

At that moment, her own transformation wore off, blinding the blond as his secret crush changed into his classmate Marinette.

 

The two students stared at each other in an awkward, embarrassed, and shocked state, neither knowing quite how to react.

 

The blond started to laugh a breathless laugh, running his hand through his hair before speaking, "well, this is kind of hawkward, huh?"


	3. I'm Cat-Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Batman, Cat-man, same thing... right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The headcannon behind this was that Marinette is a really big fan of Batman and superheroes in general (hehe, she has her dream job) and Adrien has never seen any superhero movies because his dad deemed them "too childish and violent".
> 
> Prompt: "Adrien walks up to Marinette and whispers "I'm Batman" or something…" -My sister who only knows the names because I told her.  
> Alright, I gotchu, sister

"The new Batman movie comes out tonight! I'm so ready for this!" Alya pumped her fist in the air, with classes finally being over for the day, she could be as loud as she wanted without getting in trouble.

 

Marinette nodded, her own eagerness showing through as she bounced in place, waiting for Alya to finish up at her locker so they could head over to the dark haired girl's house to wait for the movie.

 

"And the best part is that it's the weekend, so we can actually see the midnight premiere!" Marinette gushed, unaware of the blond model walking up behind her.

 

"Midnight premiere?" Adrien asked, he and Nino walking into the conversation after hearing about a trip to the movies.

 

Alya turned and smiled at the two boys as she answered, "oh, Marinette and I are going to see the new Batman movie, you wanna come with?" She smiled at the boys while her best friend just stood there smiling like an idiot, she was adorable yet starstruck.

 

"Dude, yes! I love Batman, I've been looking for someone to go with, Adrien here doesn't know anything about anything!" Nino laughed, slinging his arm around Ardien who blushed sheepishly, shrugging at his lack of Batman knowledge.

 

Marinette glanced at Adrien, silently asking if he actually knew anything about Batman. but getting no further with conversation.

 

"Yeah, you can come, I'll text you the details," Alya smiled, slinging her bag over her shoulder and getting ready to go.

 

Alya stole a glance at her friend and her crush, noticing Marinette wishing to ask the boy something, but being unable to ask because Adrien made her shy.

 

Alya laughed and rolled her eyes, turning her attention to the blond before speaking, "hey, do you wanna come too? I know you don't know about Batman, but you can still hang out at the movies with us."

 

"Yeah, it'll be fun! I was gonna drag you anyway, man!" Nino added, turning his attention to his best friend, who seemed to light up at being invited along.

 

"Really? You wouldn't mind? I'd love to tag along!"

 

"Great! Text you the details in a bit then!" Alya waved, dragging Marinette along as they walked to the bakery.

 

"Alya, I owe you so much!" Marinette gushed, hugging the girl's arm and smiling at her, still over the moon about the upcoming outing with her crush to her favorite series ever.

 

"I know!" Alya laughed, the two girls laughing and talking all the way to the bakery.

 

*******

 

Adrien was in the bathroom at Nino's house, the only place he could talk to Plagg without being caught.

 

"Plagg, I know that Marinette is Ladybug, but how do I tell her I'm Chat Noir?" Adrien asked, perching on the edge of the tub, sighing as he tried to puzzle this out.

 

He had accidentally discovered Ladybug's secret identity when she her transformation ran out right after a fight. Ladybug, Marinette at the time, was terrified Chat wouldn't like her knowing who she was, but Chat made sure that Marinette never thought she was less around him again.

 

*******

 

But now came the question of how to reveal himself. He loved seeing Marinette acting like herself around Chat Noir and when she was Ladybug, but the poor girl seemed to clam up whenever his alter ego appeared, so if he could make her feel like she already knew him, then maybe they could become friends. The only problem was finding a creative way to tell her who he was.

 

"How about you tell her you're Cat-man? Like, like Batman, but a cat!" Plagg laughed, shoving cheese into his mouth and flying back into Adrien's jacket, signalling that the conversation was over, because they were still in Nino's bathroom.

 

"Well, Cat-man it is, I suppose," Adrien shrugged, the idea already forming in his mind.

 

Marinette and Alya saw the two boys waving them up to the front of the line.

 

"Hey guys! We were out eating and then you texted so we just decided to save our spots in line, hope that's okay," Adrien winked, lifting the rope that kept the line close to the theater to allow the girls to hop in line with them.

 

"Yeah, sorry we're a little late, we went to the new Chinese restaurant but it was packed! But look, I got us fortune cookies!" Alya handed out the cookies to the rest of the teens and opened her own, laughing at the fortune.

 

It was an unspoken rule between the four teens not to share the fortunes until an hour has passed, a tradition they started when they first began hanging out and it just stuck with them.

 

Alya turned to Nino, starting a conversation with the boy, forcing Marinette to either talk with Adrien or stand around awkwardly.

 

"Hey, Marinette, can I tell you a secret?" Adrien asked in a hushed voice, pulling the girl a few steps closer to the rope and away from their friends.

 

"I-I, uh, sure!" She tried to say calmly, unable to keep it cool.

 

Adrien smiled and leaned down a bit to be closer to her height.

 

In the worst Batman impression anyone has ever heard, Adrien whispered, "I'm Chat Noir," and opened his coat a bit, allowing Plagg to peak out and give a wave.

 

Marinette would've screamed if she could, but all she could do was stare at the boy, his terrible Batman impression taking away most of the shock.

 

"You make the worst Batman, you silly kitty."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requests are always welcome for this story! I'm trying to upload all the already done chapters to let everyone see what I've already been asked to write!


	4. Closet Case

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clark Kent made changing in a phone booth look easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: "Marinette chooses a closet to transform in and Adrien opens it (to transform himself) right as Marinette does. Cue Ladybug dragging Adrien into the closet to hide him and beg him not to tell anyone." -my-insanity-is-an-artform on Tumblr.
> 
> Your wish is my command.

It was an average day in the city of Paris. Marinette was watching the family bakery while her mom was making dinner when she got a call from Alya.

 

"Marinette! Why are you late to the fundraiser?" She practically screamed over the phone, causing Marinette to hold the phone away from her face. She scrunched her face and turned the volume down on her phone.

 

"That fundraiser's tonight though, I have an hour to get there!" Marinette shook her head, she was right about the time, right?

 

"We still have to set up! Jo-Anne forgot the price cards and we need you to bring some over a.s.a.p!" Alya explained urgently, Marinette could practically feel the girl shaking her to get her point across.

 

"Okay, I'll be there in ten," Marinette nodded, hanging up the phone and shoving it in her clutch.

 

"Tikki! We're headed out, you ready?" Marinette held the clutch open for the kwami to hop inside.

 

"Mom! I need to go help set up the bake sale for school! Alya needs some help!"

 

"Okay, have fun, I'll be down in a minute!" Her mom called back, giving Marinette the okay to go.

 

Marinette snagged some of the extra price tags from under the counter and made her way to the school, cutting the tn minutes it usually took her down to almost seven just by running through the park.

 

"Alya, here are the price cards, anything else?" Marinette asked, handing off the price cards to her bespectacled friend as she tried to catch her breath, she had just sprinted for seven

minutes straight, not even Ladybug would do that!

 

"No, just, go take a seat inside, get some water, hun," Alya laughed, patting her friend on the shoulder before scurrying off to finish setting up for the Journalist Club's bake sale.

 

Marinette laughed sheepishly as she made her way inside to the locker area to take a seat.

 

It wasn't long before an akuma came and interrupted Marinette's rest.

 

Marinette heard it first from the fencing club, they came running in screaming about some crazy lady throwing bread and pastries .

 

Springing into action, Marinette ducked into the janitor's closet that was off to the side, time to save the day, again.

 

Adrien came inside with the fencing club, they were ushered into the locker area by the coaches for who-knows-why and he was stuck there, trying to find a place to transform without being spotted.

 

The janitor's closet by his locker should do the trick!

 

He quickly made his way over, making sure no one followed as he snuck into the closet.

 

Unbeknownst to the girl in front of him, he was there to watch as Marinette transformed into Ladybug.

 

"Marinette is Ladybug?" Adrien whispered, totally awestruck as he discovered the woman of his dreams was the sweetest person he knew as a civilian.

 

Marinette whipped around at the awed whisper, her eyes bugging out as she realized her secret had been found out, why hadn't she locked the closet?!

 

"Please, please don't tell anyone!" She begged, grabbing his arm and pulling him closer into the closet, forgetting her crush as she realized she had been careless.

 

Adrien smiled, it was the chance he had been waiting for, the best time to tell his lady who he really was, but he only had one shot at this. He had to do it perfectly.

 

"Alright, I'll keep your secret, but only if you keep mine," he winked, transforming himself into Chat Noir and throwing his arms around his lady.

 

"Su-pur-ise!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requests can be made here, on fanfiction dot net or on tumblr @the-majestic-space-pigeon!


	5. A Puzzling Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette always has trouble with cell phones.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Marinette dropped something as Ladybug (again) and Chat picks it up, realizing who it belongs to

Ladybug burst through the window, thankfully it was open and she didn't end up breaking anything.

 

"Puzzler! What are you doing, your puzzles are all over the streets of Paris!" She scolded, seeing the akuma-tized man sitting in a desk chair, his back to her.

 

"I want them to be solved, no puzzle deserves to go unsolved." He murmured, not turning to look at the young hero.

 

"Why not go to the community center to play with everyone else, they have loads of puzzles there," Ladybug pointed out, stepping closer to the man. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and he looked at her, eyes full of curiosity.

 

"I, I never thought of that."

 

"Well, can I have that puzzle piece, then I'll take you to the community center!" She smiled, holding her hand out for the puzzle piece which the man handed over and stood, ready to let the evil spirit leave him.

 

She quickly purified the evil, then offered her hand to the man, leading him to the door as Chat dropped through the window.

 

"Chat, go home, there is no akuma!" She called over her shoulder, shutting the door behind her as she left, laughing at the boy's offended scoff.

 

What the female superhero didn't realize, however, was that she dropped her phone on the floor, right where Chat Noir could pick it up and learn her secret identity by accident.

 

"Oh boy," he chuckled, leaving the apartment in favor of going to Ladybug's house to surprise her.

 

*******

 

Marinette clapped her hands together, rubbing them to warm them up in the cool December air.

 

"Tikki, I think today went well, the quickest and easiest akuma yet!" She laughed, hearing the tiny kwami in her bag giggle in agreement.

 

Marinette felt good about the entire thing, she didn't even need to use her Lucky Charm! She had just asked the akuma-tized man and he gave her the item, Chat Noir had only just arrived as she had purified the evil spirit.

 

As Marinette walked into the bakery, she saw an unexpected guest standing in the shop: Adrien.

 

"A-adrien?!" She stuttered, smiling sheepishly as he turned and waved.

 

"Hi, just the girl I wanted to talk to!" He beamed, crossing over to her and standing close to her, as if they spoke all the time and he was always in close proximity to her. He stood close enough with so much confident, Marinette was floored with her nerves and shyness.

 

"W-what makes you s-say that?" She laughed breathlessly, staring up into Adrien's endless green eyes, she could've sworn that something familiar flickered in his eyes, but it was gone before she could recognize it.

 

"Well, I saw Ladybug on my way over and she happened to drop something," Adrien started, fishing in his pocket to pull out a phone, Marinette's phone.

 

Marinette stared in horror and shock, her crush had learned her secret identity, and of all the possible ways, he had found out via her mistake.

 

"I-I, Adrien, I can explain, maybe…" Marinette stumbled through her words, hands waving around trying to find the words to cleverly lie about it, but it was near impossible, her nervousness would've given her away if the phone hadn't. Dejectedly, she held out her hand, taking the offered phone from the model and hanging her head in defeat.

 

"Of all the ways to reveal a secret…" She muttered, pocketing the phone, unsure of what to do next.

 

The two teens stood there, Marinette kicking the floor halfheartedly, unable to meet the boy's gaze as he watched her carefully, trying to find the words to say himself.

 

After what seemed like hours, Marinette spoke up, "I didn't see you when I was Ladybug, where were you?"

 

Adrien laughed and opened his bag, "can you keep a secret, my lady?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was written by someone who has never been to a bar... oh boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marinette is in a bar for a college assignment, so they're aged up to legally get into the bar. That's all. Also, I've never been in a bar? Does this happen in bars? I don't know.
> 
> Prompt: "one person is a bar and someone is hitting on them so the other person rescues them." -tumblr anon

Marinette really just wanted to get this assignment done. She hated it, and hated the location her evil design teacher had given her.

 

Marinette was about to call it quits, just going to design a cocktail dress with flannel and call it a night, then a man slide over to sit next to her at the bar. He was taller than Marinette by at least a head and a half, and at least twice her age. His clothes hung loosely to his thick frame, hinting that he had once been thicker than he was, but not as muscular.

 

"Well hello there, gorgeous, what brings a little lady like you down here?" His voice oozed with sickening sweetness. His eyes glinted with a sort of fire, a hungry and powerful fire. Marinette shivered as she met his eyes, nothing about this man seemed friendly.

 

Marinette caught a whiff of his breath and took a double take, it smelled just like the bar she was sitting at, like week old booze that had been left in the heat too long.

 

Marinette decided to just play it safe, and she put up her guard in her response, "I'm just doing some homework, but I've finished, so I'm heading out."

 

Marinette closed her sketchbook and rose to her feet. She tried to sneak past the man, but he wouldn't have it, his hand snatching her wrist and pulling her close.

 

"Not so fast, sweetness," his voice was heavier, harsher as he pulled Marinette closer to himself, whispering in her ear, "I have a problem, and you're gonna fi-"

 

"Ah, Marinette, my princess, I was about to send the search parties for you!" The man and Marinette both turned shocked expressions to the new comer, a boy about Marinette's age wearing a skin tight leather leotard with a cat theme.

 

"Chat Noir..." Marinette's voice was tense, she had no idea what the boy was thinking, and she was going to make sure he knew that.

 

"See, Marinette and I were meeting up for some important business, but I couldn't find her, so then I got worried. But you, my good sir, you have found my princess." Chat chuckled, dropping a heavy hand on the man's shoulder, discreetly digging his claws into the man's shoulder.

 

"Aw geez! What's your problem, pussycat?" He sneered, letting going of Marinette's wrist to wave away Chat's hand that was about to break skin with his razor sharp claws.

 

The man turned his glare from Chat Noir to Marinette, who was doing her best to not faint, she was so relieved to not have to fight her way out.

 

"Are you with this guy?" He jabbed his thumb angrily at Chat Noir, who gave Marinette a wink and a nod, letting her know that he was on her side.

 

Marinette gave a nod to the man before she shifted over to stand next to Chat Noir, "yes, I am here with Chat Noir, let if you'll excuse us, we've got some important business to discuss." She took his hand for extra measure before she led the superhero out onto the bustling Parisian night.

 

"Well, that was fun!" Chat laughed, bouncing on his toes when Marinette dragged him into an alley.

 

He took one look at the small girl, and instantly knew this was no laughing matter. Her eyes were livid, her posture stiff and rigid like a wall.

 

"Chat, what the heck were you thinking?! You transformed and then went into a _bar!"_ She tugged at her pigtails, letting out an angry growl before pushing in front of the stunned silent hero.

 

"Just think if it had gotten violent, huh, what if a reporter saw you? You're lucky Alya wasn't there or this little scene would be all over the LadyBlog!"

 

Chat's head was spinning, first she was thankful to see him, then she had held his hand and now she was yelling at him, Marinette was a confusing girl.

 

"Marinette, calm down, no one saw me enter the bar as Chat Noir... how did you know about the transformation?"

 

Chat managed to make Marinette completely shut up with one question. Marinette stopped her pacing and stared wide eyed at the boy clad in black. She had been her cover chastising him about being careful with his identity. Great.

 

"I-I... uh, lucky guess?" She smiled unsure of herself and the boy that stood before her.

 

Chat began to laugh, causing Marinette to huff and cross her arms stubbornly, "and what's that supposed to mean, kitty?"

 

"N-nothing! I just always assumed you were Ladybug, but I didn't think a small slip would be the thing you used to tell me!" Chat was doubled over with howling laughter, like this situation wasn't jarring at all for Marinette.

 

"Whatever, now you know... is this, um, is it okay that's it's just me?" Marinette asked slowly, Chat looked into her eyes and saw that she made her whole self vulnerable with this question.

 

With a nod, Chat answered her, "only if it's okay that this is me." With that, he released his transformation, giving his trust to his lady.


	7. Paw-fectly Logical

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why does Marinette always give him a scarf for his birthday?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "In which Ladybug gives Chat Noir a black scarf with a green paw embroidered signed Chat Noir but she accidentally signs it as Marinette inside the paw" - Junsuina Yume (fanfiction do net)  
> Welp, this sounded too cute to ignore!

"Me-ouch, my lady! Is that anyway to treat the birthday boy?" Chat Noir teased, dodging the flying boxes that came from the akuma-tized villain.

 

"It's your birthday?" Ladybug asked, hopping over his crouched form and landing a punch square in the villain's face. She grabbed the safety helmet from their head and tossed it to her partner. Chat caught it and quickly threw it down and rammed his staff into it, causing it to crumble and release the akuma.

 

"Not so fast, evil akuma! It's time to de-evilize!" Ladybug quickly caught and purified the butterfly before sending it on its way.

 

"Purr-fect work, as always, Bugaboo," Chat smile down at the red clad girl who rolled her eyes.

 

She led the way out of the construction site and to the rooftops of Paris.

 

"Chat, is it really your birthday?" She sighed as she sat on the edge of a building, gazing out over the sleepy city just barely awake at the early morning hour.

 

"Well, technically, what time is it? Six?" Chat narrowed his eyes as he joined Ladybug in sitting and observed the early Parisian sky. He then tilted his head towards Ladybug and gave a cheeky grin.

 

"So, do I get a birthday kiss?" He teased as Ladybug swatted him on the arm gently, shaking her head at him, what was she to do with her silly kitty?

 

"No, but I was thinking about bringing you your present. When do you want to meet?"

 

"Y-you got me a present?! Bugaboo, you really shouldn't have!" The boy clad in black looked shocked, touched and on the verge of tears. Ladybug smiled gently at him and shook her head.

 

"I did make you a present because I care about you, I just didn't know when your birthday was, but since I was making a classmate a present, I also decided to start yours. Chat, what's with the face?"

 

Chat Noir tackled his partner in a hug, one of the few she allowed him to give her and smiled, "Ladybug, you are literally the best friend anyone could have!"

 

*******

 

Marinette wrapped the present up nice and neat for her Partner in Justice and set in on the desk, watching the time tick down to the meeting time they agreed on.

 

"What's with the face, Marinette?" Tikki asked, hovering inches from Marinette's nervous gaze.

 

"Well, do you think he'll like it? It is sort of cliche…" She fiddled with the excess wrapping paper that had fallen on her lap.

 

"Of course he'll love it, because you thought of him to make it!" Tikki laughed and hugged Marinette's cheek, "common, any longer and we'll keep that silly kitty of yours waiting."

 

*******

 

Of course Tikki was right, Chat Noir was head over heels for the black scarf she had made, especially the ends where she had made green cat paws instead of keeping it black. He had excitedly thrown the scarf around his neck. All in all, a weight was lifted off Marinette's mind as he had strutted around the rooftop with the scarf.

 

And then, she got to school and saw the scarf Adrien was wearing. And all the walls she built up to keep Ladybug as far from her personal life as she could came crashing down.

 

"Marinette, did you see Adrien's scarf? He said he got it from an amazing friend of his!" Alya laughed, slinging her arm around the smaller girl's shoulders.

 

"Y-yeah, and I think I know the friend…"

 

Before Alya could ask Marinette what was up with the unclear response, the bell sounded and called all the students to class, drawing the girls into a conversation on English homework, but Adrien's scarf still gnawed at the back of her mind, he couldn't be, right? Just a coincidence.

 

*******

 

Adrien hadn't noticed it when he was given the scarf, in fact, he hadn't noticed it until that morning on the car ride to school.

 

He had been fiddling with one of the green paws on the end of the scarf when he had noticed the shiny green thread in one of the.. would you call it a finger, maybe a claw… well, at the edge, embroidered with the shiny green to match the yarn was a loopy cursive signature reading "Marinette". Which only meant one thing: Marinette knew Ladybug. Maybe he could somehow ask her about it after classes, see what his lady was really like without him there.

 

*******

 

Marinette had planned on cornering Adrien after class, big crush on him be darned! However, he had asked to speak to her first, so she didn't get the chance before Alya was shoving her out of the classroom with a thumbs up and a snickering Nino behind her.

 

Marinette regained her balance and followed Adrien to a secluded part of the school nervously, what would he want to talk about? Had he noticed her staring? He probably had and wanted to scold her about it.

 

"Marinette, did you see my new scarf? I got it from a… friend of mine for my birthday." Marinette gave him a quizzical look, why had he dragged her to a private location to talk about his scarf?

 

"I, uh, yeah, it's very nice, the black brings out your eyes and the green looks good with it. Why?"

 

"Well, I happened to notice something interesting in the paw," Adrien held up the paw in question, letting the black haired girl get a good look at her signature signing in it, oh no.

 

"I, uh, it's not, um, hehehe?" Marinette was in trouble, her confidence she had a moment ago withered up and died, leaving her a red and blubbering mess as she tried to craft a clever lie to hide her alter ego.

 

"Uh-huh, I thought you might, now I want to know: what's Ladybug really like as a person?" Adrien's demeanor seemed to shift gears and his eyes got shiny and his expression turned dreamy at the mention of Ladybug. Marinette blinked a couple of times before she laughed out loud, he had no idea.

 

Adrien stared in confusion as the small girl doubled over with laughter at the situation, whatever it was that was so funny completely lost to him.

 

"A-are you telling me you didn't piece it together? I figured it out this morning, you silly kitty!" She laughed, sliding down to sit on the floor and stare up at the boy with her incredibly blue eyes filled with amusement.

 

"H-how, I mean, I'm not, how did you know?!" Adrien stumbled, failing again to see the obvious hint in front of him, quite literally as he slid down and sat opposite of her.

 

"Take your time, I'll wait," she gave him a wink, something she only dared to give to Chat Noir and it finally dawned on him.

 

"My Lady?!"


	8. The Strings That Bond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remember that "lucky charm" Marinette gave to Adrien in Le Gamer? Well, Chat sure does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I blame Alapest for this, as usual, she sat through me spewing ideas at her while writing this, thanks boo  
> Prompt: "I think ladybug should recognize chat when he takes out the small beaded bracelet marinette gave Adrian in 'Le Gamer'" -LastEnd (fanfiction dot net)

"Ladybug! What's wrong?" Chat Noir sat next to the girl in question and gave her a quizzical look. She had called him in the middle of the night just being lucky to catch him with a bit of restless energy and a plan to wander the Parisian night.

 

Now that he was on top of the tall building however, he could see that she was beyond not okay, she looked miserable.

 

Ladybug shook her head, but said nothing, just letting Chat Noir sit close, in silence. Chat kept a close eye on Ladybug, seeing the small tears that fought to get out and it scared him, what had upset his Lady?

 

"Ladybug? What happened?" He asked again, a little more force in his voice as he shifted from criss-cross to sitting on his knees to better place a hand on his partner's shoulder. This got the girl to look up at him, sorrow filled eyes so very blue from the extra liquid in them and her mouth quivering as she tried not to cry.

 

"I-I, are we doing this right? I've never known what to do before hand and what if I make a mistake?" She whispered, latching onto the hand on her shoulder. Chat was shocked to say the least, of course they were doing this right! Why would she ask something like that?

 

Chat shook his head and pulled their hands to rest comfortably between the two of them. He smiled as the girl looked at him with a slight frown of disapproval.

 

"Ladybug, we're heroes and probably both teenagers, right?" She gave a nod before continuing, "right, so of course you're going to be unsure, and of course you're going to make mistakes! It's life!" Chat Noir let go of her hand with one of his and swept it over the Paris night, "but if you remember why you put the miraculous on in the first place, the desire to protect all these people, then you will fix any mistake you've made."

 

Chat looked her in the eye, seeing the doubt that still lingered, and he got an idea.

 

"Here, I've got something for you," he smiled, tugging on his glove to reveal a sliver of skin and the red string of a bracelet. He quickly untied it and held it out to her. "Here, my lucky charm, I got it from a good friend, but I'm sure she wouldn't mind lending a little luck to you, my lady." He grabbed Ladybug's arm and tied the red string on her wrist then turning it over.

 

"Ta-da!" He smiled as the girl's blue eyes widen as she looked at the cute beaded friendship bracelet the cat superhero tied to her wrist.

 

They sat like that for a while and just looked out over the skyline, but soon they realized the time and decided it was time to depart.

 

"Thanks, for... for everything Chat Noir."

 

*******

 

The next day, Adrien wasn't expecting to be confronted by Marinette.

 

"We, uh, we need to talk, Adrien," she spoke softly, nodding her head towards an unoccupied spot in the Commons where they could talk without interruptions.

 

Adrien nodded, following the smaller girl as she weaved in and out of the groups to the spot she had pointed out.

 

Once there, she jumped straight to the point, not even letting Adrien open his mouth.

 

"So, I heard you're a Chat Noir fan," she huffed, hands on her hips and a stern glare in her eyes.

 

He blinked before stuttering, "uh, no, well, yes, but no! I mean, he's a cool guy, but I've never met him!"

 

She blinked at him and huffed, shoving her wrist in his face, "then how did he get this?!" He looked at the bracelet and squeaked, how did he get the lucky charm that he had given Ladybug just that night.

 

"You're Chat Noir aren't you?" She hissed, looking over her shoulder and back before throwing her glare at him.

 

He considered lying, but she had proof, how had he gotten a hold of a bracelet she had given HIM? No lie, and having someone who knew could be helpful, right? Someone to try and cover his absences and just to talk about this with? Really, in an economic standpoint, telling her the truth was the best option, "yeah, I am... Please keep it secret!"

 

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh," her eyes widened as she tried to process all of this.

 

"Okay, okay, yes, I can't believe your were this close, Adrien!" She whisper-yelled, smacking his arm lightly, "you can't just give me things and expect me not to figure it out, silly kitty!" She teased.

 

Adrien blinked once, twice, and a third for good measure before blurting, "You're Ladybug?!"

 

"Lucky Guess."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Years, guys!!!


	9. A Hairy Situation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette, read the hair dye box next time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed the chapter name from the one on fanfiction dot net. All is right with the world.  
> Prompt: "Mari dyes her hair and Adrien stops BEING SILLY AND RECOGNIZES HER" -My friend in a facebook message. Alright dear, I gotchu

"Oh, oh my!" Sabine gaped as her teenage daughter stepped out of the bathroom with a pained expression, she had made a slight mistake.

 

"Mama, the box lied to me," she said lamely, her face and voice expressionless as she stared at the floor, her face tinted red.

 

Sabine gave a soft hum before going over to her daughter and placing an arm around her shoulder, "it's not bad, little one, just different, it's very cute." She encouraged, looking down at her daughter to read her reaction. Marinette just sighed and glanced up at the woman, her eyes hopeful and very, very blue.

 

"Are you sure? What if no one likes it?" She questioned, her back tensing slightly as the scenario played over in her head, how no one would talk to her, she'd be doomed to sit at the back so a to not distract the rest of the class, and Adrien wouldn't talk to her! Oh she'd be a social outcast for sure!

 

"Marinette, you need to breathe, it will all be okay," Sabine spoke sternly, upset that her daughter was worrying over something so trivial, her friends loved her for her, not her hair. Marinette snapped out of her slight panic to look at her mother, who gave her a hug and a kiss to the forehead.

 

"Go on, you'll be late if you don't head out now."

 

*******

 

Her mother was right, no one really cared about her hair, right? Right.

 

"Oh Tikki, I can't do this!" She whined, ducking behind a tree to watch all her classmates mingle in front of the school and suddenly she felt scared, what if her mother was wrong, even though Sabine could never be wrong, there's a first time for everything.

 

"Marinette, you're mother is right and if you don't go now, you'll be late!" The kwami chirped, not daring to leave the small clutch for fear of being spotted.

 

"Besides, you're wearing a hat."

 

Marinette nodded, heading out once again for the school to meet up with Alya.

 

"Hey girl! You're on time, thank goodness!" She teased, slinging her arm around the small girl and leading her inside.

 

"Hey Alya, I might have made a, uh, small mistake?" Marinette whispered, leading Alya to the bathroom by simply walking in that direction.

 

"What'd you do, steal another phone?" Alya teased her once more, sensing the uneasy feeling wafting off of Marinette.

 

Marinette said nothing, just opened the door to the bathroom and took a quick survey, no one was in there except her and Alya.

 

"Okay, don't laugh, it was a mistake and I can fix it in a few days." Marinette took a deep breath and removed the beanie that covered her head, revealing the mess of a bright blue bun. Alya just stared at her now blue haired friend and gapped, this... was a surprise to say the least.

 

"Well? Is it really that bad?" Marinette was close to tears, Alya hated it! She just knew she should've skipped classes, or called in sick!

 

"No, nonono, it's just, different, but it looks rad, girl!" Alya quickly came to her rescue, grabbing some paper towels and handing them to Marinette, just in case. Marinette took them and shot Alya a grateful look, at least she tried to make her feel better, that's all that mattered.

 

"Yeah? Well, I'm going to fix it soon, but I have to let the dye set first." Marinette sighed, fixing the beanie on her head to hide the hair disaster.

 

"That's good, were you touching up your highlights?"

 

"Yeah, but I think I'm going to just go back to my natural color," Marinette decided, following her friend down to their classroom to forget this entire mess.

 

*******

 

Chat Noir sighed, it wasn't like his lady to be late for patrols, one that she set up, to be precise! Where was she?

 

"Chat! Sorry I'm late, I uh, ran into a problem..." Ladybug sighed, standing at his side.

 

Chat looked over to the girl to ask about her problem, but one look at her and he knew it exactly, her hair was bright blue.

 

"M-my lady, was this problem a teenage rebellion?" He asked, gawking at her hair, it wasn't bad, just different.

 

"No! I just messed up with my highlights. My problem was trying to find a hat to cover it, but I decided that was ridiculous, but one more joke and I'm leaving." She warned, throwing her yo-yo and zipping away, leaving Chat to himself.

 

Ladybug's attitude reminded him of his classmate Marinette, and how she refused to take off her beanie the entire day. Chat sat there, mulling it over before it dawned on him and he prang into action.

 

"My lady!" He called, slamming onto the roof next to her, knees buckling under the force of his landing.

 

"Chat Noir, are you okay?!" She reached out an arm to steady her partner, letting him lean on her as she gently helped him into a sitting position.

 

"Thanks, Marinette," he smiled at her, and her reaction said it all, he was right.

 

Ladybug shoved him away, pushing him into the roof and letting out a squeak of fright, "how did you know?!"

 

"I, uh, didn't really, just figured 'Marinette was wearing a hat today and Ladybug is embarrassed about her hair' and so, I guessed?" He laughed uneasily, sitting up and shifting away from the very angry girl.

 

"Don't hit me, purrty pawlease?" He smiled cheekily at the girl.

 

"Just, don't tell anyone."

 

Chat sat up and held up his hand, "Cat's honor!" She smiled with him at that.

 

"Right, then let's finish this patrol, silly kitty."

 

The two heroes leapt into the night, neither feeling ready to let Chat's secret out of the bag, but both ready to help Marinette keep hers, both secrets, to themselves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: blue dye does NOT come out of your hair that easily?


	10. Light as a Feather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette uses Google to find out how rare feather allergies actually are

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, apparently I wrote this while on jetlag? Makes sense, I did do a study abroad while writing this story.  
> Prompt: (I found this in my notebook at like two this morning... thanks me) Marinette becomes undumb after the events of Mr. Pidgeon

Marinette paced her room, the idea she had been chewing on had been tugging at her brain for a while, and it only made more since the more she thought on it.

 

Tikki was hovering over by her desktop, munching on a cookie and listening to Marinette as she thought it over.

 

"Well, I know I've probably said it four times in the past hour, but it just makes since right? He's never there when there's an attack, and when he is, I can't find Chat! They're both blond, and are the same height, so that has to narrow it down a bit as well. And the feathers thing, that's big. Oh!" Marinette can't believe she hadn't thought of it before, racing to her computer to Google the answer to the most important question on her mind.

 

"I hope you're not planning on Goggling 'Who is Chat Noir', Marinette," Tikki tested, very sure the crazed look in her miraculous wielder's eyes was no good sign.

 

"What, pfft, no, that's crazy, Tikki, I'm just gonna Google how common bird allergies are!" Marinette blinked a few times after hearing the sentence she had just said.

 

"Tikki, I think I'll just ask Chat Noir tonight," Marinette hummed, pushing herself away from the computer to leave the room, going slowly as she thought about what she just did.

 

*******

 

That night, Ladybug found Chat before he found her.

 

"My Lady, it's always good to see you," he purred, turning to face her fully with his cheeky grin.

 

"Chat, I have a question, and you need to answer it honestly, okay?" She asked, fixing him with a hard glare, sending shivers down the boy's spine.

 

"Do you know how rare an allergy to feathers is?"

 

"Uh, no?" Chat answered, raising his eyebrow to look at the girl.

 

"It's super rare, and while I know you have an allergy to feathers, it's very rare that another boy of your height, hair color and stature to have the exact same rare allergy, right, Adrien?" Ladybug placed a hand on her hip and glared at the boy, her eyebrows furrowed with intensity.

 

Chat Noir only laughed, shaking his head as he took in the serious girl, "well, you figured it out, my lady!"

 

"Well, curiosity killed the cat... 's disguise," Ladybug laughed, she couldn't quite wrap her head around the secret she had learned, only fully believing the boy when he released his transformation and waved to the girl.

 

"You know what they say though: Satisfaction brought it back," he gave her a charming wink as she nodded, considering the information.

 

"Well, I hope you're satisfied, kitty." And a pink light surrounded them both as she released the cat out of the bag.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Send prompts, otherwise I'll have to come up with morereveals, lol


	11. Insert Cheese Pun Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why does Adrien always smell like cheese? Why won't Marinette ask him? Why is Becca so bad with titles? The world may never know

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The user Serulium and I had a lot of fun talking about this idea. Also, I aged them up to about 17-18ish in this one, and their friends because I need it.
> 
> Prompt: What if Marinette asked about Adrien smelling like cheese? -Serulium (fanfiction dot net)

Marinette didn't notice it at first, she just always connected the smell with her perfect Adrien. After they started to hang out more however, she began to feel the scent creeping up her nose that she started asking questions.

 

Why did Adrien always smell of Camembert? He didn't particularly enjoy the taste of cheese, she remembered every dinner he has ever eaten at her house, politely declining any extra cheese offered to him and just picking at was already on his plate.

 

The more they hung out, the more she smelt it, the more she smelt it, the more she just had to know until finally, she couldn't take it anymore and asked.

 

Adrien was laying stomach down on her floor, playing on his DS and just enjoying being with Marinette and exploring her village in Animal Crossing.

 

Marinette was sitting above him on the chaise, but she was distracted with the smell of Camembert.

 

"Hey, Adrien?" She spoke up, coughing slightly to get his attention. The boy looked up at her, his green eyes still making the girl swoon after nearly three years of being his friend and four years of knowing him.

 

"Why do you, uh, okay this is a weird question, nevermind," Marinette laughed, shaking her head and going back to her game. She could barely hide the smirk as Adrien lifted himself up on his elbows to show his interest, the girl knew how to bait him.

 

"No, no, I'm sure it's not that bad, Mari," he reassured her, but his eyes pleaded with hers to tell him the secrets.

 

"No, you'll just laugh!" She waved it off, scooting over slightly to create more room on the chaise. The extra room was quickly taken by the blond boy, looking eager to hear his friend's question.

 

"Marinette, I will not laugh, but you've gotta tell me, I am very curious, please!" Adrien folded his hands and waved them in front of the giggling girl who rolled her eyes.

 

"Adrien, curiosity killed the cat," She warned as Adrien rolled his eyes, she had no idea.

 

"But, you've convinced me!" She played along with the boy, not letting him know how well she had played him.

 

"Adrien, why do you always smell of Camembert?"

 

Adrien blinked twice before sighing, "ugh, I thought it'd be something cool! Not something Nino says to me twice a day!" Adrien sighed, moving back to the floor and picking up his discarded DS. Marinette raised an eyebrow at that, but pressed forward.

 

"Well if you answer it everyday, then why not now?" She huffed, jabbing his side with her barefoot.

 

Adrien laughed and wiggled about before sitting up and grabbing her foot to make her stop, "okay, okay!" He laughed, shoving her foot away.

 

"I have a friend who really likes cheese, he doesn't want anyone to know though, so I bring him cheese and you know how cheese is; the smell lingers." Adrien shrugged, turning back to the game and hoping his cover was well, it was used to, after all.

 

Marinette nodded, the story seemed familiar, but not in the way she heard it before, she couldn't explain it.

 

*******

 

Ladybug caught a whiff of it while on patrol, that smell that could only be one thing: Camembert. It might have been because she was thinking about earlier that day, but it was definitely Camembert, what else could it be?

 

"Chat, why do you smell of Camembert?" She asked as they rested on the viewing point of the Eiffel Tower.

 

Chat laughed as he turned to look at her, smiling a cheeky grin at her, "curious are we, my lady?"

 

"No, I just asked to disturb a peaceful night," the girl rolled her eyes as she joined him at the railing, leaning over it to take in the city she had been protecting for four years.

 

"Well, curiosity killed the cat," Chat smiled over to her, remembering the thing a very important person had said to him that day.

 

"I will leave you up here alone, kitty." The dark haired girl threatened, pulling out her yo-yo and swinging it as proof.

 

The cat themed boy laughed and nodded, putting his hands up in resignation, "okay, you got me, my kwami only eats it, so I always have some on me and I guess the smell transfers over to my suit." Chat Noir sighed, shaking his head.

 

"Huh, that's what sort of what my friend said today," Ladybug laughed lightly.

 

"R-really?" Chat looked nervous as he scratched the back of his neck. If Ladybug didn't know better, she'd say he was... hiding... something, oh no, she might have figured it out.

 

"Oh, oh, I get it!" Ladybug stammered, trying to avoid looking at the boy as she flung her yo-yo, "let's just finish up this patrol!" She had shouted over her shoulder as she flew through the cool night air, ignoring her partner's shouts for her to wait.

 

The next day, Marinette was visited by Adrien, which usually happened on Sunday afternoons, no one ever worked on Sunday afterall, including high school models.

 

"Hey, Mari-Mari!" He practically sang as he crawled up the ladder to alert her of his presence.

 

"Hey, Adri-Adri!" She rolled her eyes, he was wearing a stupid grin as he crawled up the ladder and into her room.

 

"So, I brought up some rolls, your mom said you've been locked in here all morning?" He stated, handing over one of the plates as he took a seat on the chaise besides the girl, munching on a roll himself.

 

Marinette nodded, sighing as she set aside the notebook and the plate on her other side, to keep both away from Adrien.

 

Adrien took in her nervous look and sighed, "how long have you been writing?" Knowing from previous experiences that whenever Marinette locked herself in her room, she often wrote her thoughts as a way to help center herself.

 

"It's not important, I was almost done..." Marinette shrugged, not daring to meet the blond gaze, if she did then he would've seen the lie she had just told. The only reason that she was done writing was because her problem was here, and she could ask. She should definitely ask him, oh but what if he got angry?

 

What did she care? She was a senior in high school, she could toughen up enough to ask a silly question.

 

"Mari, you're thinking again," Adrien warned, snapping the girl back to her room. She smiled at him apologetically and taking a deep breath.

 

"So, you have a friend who's obsessed with cheese, right?" She started, she was going to do it, she was!

 

"Marinette, what does that have to do with anything?"

 

"J-just answer it!"

 

"Well, you know the answer: I have a friend who likes cheese." Adrien sighed, bumping his shoulder gently into Marinette's, "you sure you're alright?"

 

"I'm fine, but I learned an interesting fact last night." Marinette sighed, leaning into the boy, blushing as she stated, "Chat Noir really likes cheese as well."

 

Adrien gawked, shooting up straight and looking offended as he ranted, "I. Do. NOT like cheese, I hate it with a fiery passion I swear to everything h-" Adrien caught himself too late, he had let the cat out of the bag, or well, the Chat, I suppose.

 

"You're Chat Noir?!" Marinette also shot straight up, looking at Adrien with a new light, she could see the cocky grin of her partner as he told puns, they shared the same laugh. Same smile and same stance.

 

"Oh my gosh, how have I never seen it?"

 

"What?! I thought you were asking BECAUSE you figured it out!" Adrien hissed, trying not to alert Marinette's parents by shouting, everything was fine, right? Right.

 

"No! I just thought you were friends with Chat! You said you had a friend that liked cheese!"

 

"I do! It's my kwami! And how do you know about that?! That was NACHO conversation!"

 

Marinette stood there, blinking at the model, trying to figure out why he thought cracking a cheese pun was appropriate at this time, well, I guess cheese had been his downfall.

 

"I'm sorry! I make great puns when I get stressed!" He whined, flopping back onto the desk chair behind him. Marinette rolled her eyes and giggled.

 

"Don't I know it, silly kitty." She smiled, reaching over and ruffling his hair.

 

Adrien blinked up at her, eyes wide with hope, without saying any words, Marinette nodded and pulled him into a loving hug.


	12. Chat's Out of the Bag ;))))

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why do people have nicknames? It's too confusing my goodness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note for this chapter: I'm going with the English dub and Mari started as Ladybug in 10th grade, just because the French schooling system confuses me... I took German, okay?
> 
> Prompt: Marinette and Adrien are close friends and one day they they slip up on the names -Lord Mushroom Kat (fanfiction dot net)

Marinette couldn't believe her life right now, somehow in the middle of the school break, she and Adrien had begun to hang out more, and thankfully her stuttering nervous self seemed to subside after a few weeks. Now, she was starting a new school year, Chole wasn't in her class, she had transferred to some fancy private school to be with people of a "finer taste in life and clothes". Everything was looking good, she was close friends with Adrien, Chole was far far away, and even her life as Ladybug had gotten easier, she and Chat Noir had gotten close as a duo and made quick work of the Akumas, they barely used their special powers anymore. Life was good for the young Parisian girl, and she planned on keeping it that way.

 

When Marinette woke up on the first day of eleventh grade and something was off, she was awake before her alarm and a boy was shouting her name.

 

She squawked out in shock as she failed in the covers, trying to escape. When she finally managed to get herself untangled, she ended up on the floor of her room, huffing angrily as she finally pieced together what happened: Chat Noir was in her room.

 

"Ugh! What are you doing waking me up this early?!" She groaned, peering over the edge of her loft to see not her partner, but Adrien, huh. Weird.

 

Adrien smiled up sheepishly as he held up a cup of coffee and spoke, "your mom thought it would be nice for you to get to school on time so she sent me up when I was walking past."

 

Adrien set the coffee on her desk and turned to the trap door, "well, I'm in the kitchen with your mom if you need me!" With that he disappeared down the trapdoor in her floor and into the rest of her house.

 

Marinette shook her head, how had she confused Adrien with Chat Noir? True, they sort of acted the same, but Adrien was very polite and would never flirt the way Chat would. And, his puns weren't every other sentence! And Adrien was cuter! Well, that last one Marinette seemed to flip-flop her decision on, it all depended now. Why had she thought Adrien was Chat? That's ridiculous, she chided herself as she fixed her twin tails and then went about getting ready for school as quick as possible, there was no way she was letting her mom embarrass her more than absolutely necessary.

 

She grabbed her purse and let Tikki sleepily fly inside, giggling as the Kwami grumbled about mornings, then she grabbed the coffee and slipped downstairs.

 

In the kitchen, Adrien and Sabine were talking about something in in the oven as she slid up, bumping slightly into Adrien as she did.

 

"Oh, Marinette, you are actually awake! That's a surprise!" Sabine chuckled as she patted Marinette's head. Marinette rolled her eyes fondly as she sipped her coffee.

 

"Well, you're just in time, the rolls are finished, go get plates, please."

 

"Yes, Mama," Marinette nodded handing Adrien her coffee absentmindedly as she turned to grab three plates.

 

Sabine handed them each a roll on a plate and they sat and ate for awhile until Marinette looked at the clock and decided that they should head out.

 

The walk was nice, talking about nothing in particular as they laughed. Marinette still had the idea of Adrien being Chat Noir nagging at her mind, she just couldn't shake it.

 

"Hey Adrien, what do you think of Chat Noir?" She asked suddenly, pointing at the magazine that thankfully had one of the recent Akuma battles plastered to the front of it, some silly tagline on it that she did not care about heading the cover.

 

"Huh? Why do you ask?" He avoided her gaze, seeming to inspect the magazine stand.

 

"Well, I'm curious! We never talk about the main talking point for most of our classmates and Paris, and I'd like to know!" She sighed, "you don't have to answer, it's s-stupid..." Marinette kicked mentally kicked herself, she was stuttering again!

 

"No, no, it's fine Marinette! I don't mind! I think he is purr-fectly amazing, and I have a feline you think the same," Adrien winked as the pun set in, Marinette scoffing disgustedly as he giggled, jogging ahead of the girl to avoid her playful punches, ending up running as she gave into the chase, sprinting the rest of the way to school.

 

*******

 

Marinette was distracted all day, every time she tried to talk to Adrien, she kept seeing Chat Noir and it was throwing her off! She should take matters into her own hands, she decided, concocting a plan to get someone to reveal a superhero identity, even it that someone was her!

 

After school, she found Adrien at his locker, pulling out his fencing gear, he had practice that night and had wanted to get to the gym early for some extra practice. He hadn't noticed Marinette slide over or take a deep breath to steady her rapid heart rate. Oh boy, she was nervous this was a terrible plan that she had just put into action.

 

"Hey, Chat, we still on for patrol tonight?" She asked, pushing all of her confidence from her Ladybug mind and letting it out through Marinette.

 

"Uh, I think so? Yeah, that works, LB," he nodded, not even noticing. That is, until he noticed what he was holding and where he was.

 

Marinette straightened up and gave a small squeak, trying not to full out freak out and draw attention to the two of them. She hopped up and down in place, her eyes wide as she watch Adrien drop his fencing and school gear unceremoniously on the ground as he grabbed for her arms, his eyes wide but the rest of his body seemed relaxed, must be from years of learning to control his emotions.

 

"Marinette?! Why did you call me Chat Noir?!"

 

"What?! Why did you RESPOND to Chat Noir?! Are you Chat Noir?!" She whispered hurriedly, searching his eyes, which seemed to give up slightly as he loosed the grip he had on her arms with a nod.

 

"Guess the Chat's out of the bag, huh?"

 

"This is no time for puns, we will discuss this later, but you're late for fencing, silly kitty!" She smacked his arm lightly, "see you on patrol, Adrien." She took a step back, and a deep breath, before turning and sprinting away, getting as far from the school as possible in the shortest amount of time.

 

Adrien was Chat Noir, of course he was, from all that she learned by just hanging out with him, she should've known sooner! She chuckled, stopping her run and skidding to a halt, turning back around and jogging to the school, they didn't have to wait until patrol, she could talk to him after fencing, she'd wait for him, after all, they had kept this secret long enough.


	13. Something Wicked This Way Comes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guys, this is me we're talking about, of course I'm throwing angst in here. Yay angst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Post-Reveal Fic -Wild-at-Heart14 (fanfiction dot net) This is part one of two for this prompt ;)

Marinette was working on the Halloween costume she promised to make for Manon when she saw the smoke.

 

"Tikki! Emergency!" Tikki popped out of the fabric she had been napping in to look out over the city.

 

"Oh dear! Do you think it's an akuma?"

 

"Whatever it is, Ladybug is gonna fix it! Tikki, Spots On!" And in a flash, Ladybug was zooming across the city, heading for the smoke.

 

When Ladybug came to a stop on a top of a building overlooking the fires, she took in the scene. Smoke billowed up from the building across the street, a bakery that sold loaves of bread to local grocery stores.

 

She looked down and saw the akuma causing havoc and searching for any straggling citizens who were left in the area.

 

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" She hollered, swooping down to search under a car.

 

Upon closer inspection, Ladybug saw that the girl was dressed in a long black dress, it seemed to cover more skin than any modern dress Ladybug had ever seen. She had a large and pointy, and for lack of a better term, witch hat placed on her head as she continued to sneer and search the area.

 

Ladybug took a deep breath and hopped down to join the akuma on the street.

 

"Hey!" She shouted, gaining the villain's attention as she turned on her heels to reveal a very green and very sinister glare.

 

"Where are they?!" She growled, swooping over to Ladybug, glaring up at her from her hunched over position. Ladybug recoiled just a bit, she smelled just as wicked as she looked.

 

"I'm sorry?"

 

"Where is the little brat and her little brute?!" She growled once more, turning swiftly and stomping away from Ladybug, who just blinked, she understood nothing that came out of the girl's mouth. What little brat and brute? What did the akuma want?

 

Ladybug had no time to ask for Chat had joined her on the street that second, turning to explain.

 

"She's obviously the Wicked Witch of the West, or well, some imitation of her, and the brat she's referring to is Dorthy." He shrugged, smiling casually over at Ladybug.

 

"How in the world would you know that?" Ladybug asked, earning a snicker from Chat Noir before he went off chasing the akuma, she moved fast on that broom and needed to stop her before she got too far.

 

Ladybug rolled her eyes, she had more important things to deal with, like where the akuma was hiding, and she raced after both Chat and the Witch.

 

"So, I'm thinking the akuma is in her shoes!" Chat suggested, running by Ladybug's side, she had soon caught up to him, he had dropped pace slightly to discuss a plan with her.

 

"Why? What about the broom?" Ladybug countered, hopping over some rubble that the Witch had left behind her.

 

"Who carries a broom around? And besides, she had to click her heels together before she took off on her broom!"

 

Ladybug huffed, he made a good point, she could see the red slippers on the Witch's feet as they chased her down the back streets of Paris.

 

"So, what's the plan, m'lady?" Chat smiled, gaining speed slightly.

 

"I, I have no idea, we have to catch her first! She's too fast!"

 

It took a bit, but finally, they managed to corner the villain, however, she seemed to have been waiting for them.

 

As soon as they came in sight of the Witch, she began to cackle, loud and vicious, it didn't look good to Ladybug, but Chat didn't see it, he took a step forward, silently challenging the girl.

 

"Foolish pests! I'll be rid of you soon enough!" The Witch shouted, raising a hand.

 

"We'll see about that, you witch!"

 

"Ha! Silly kitty, you seem more foolish than the bug! Care for a game of catch?!" She didn't wait for an answer, clutching the fingers of her raised hand and moving it in a throwing motion, creating a fireball that came flying towards Chat Noir.

 

Ladybug saw everything happen in slow motion, she saw the fireball rushing towards Chat, the look of fear on his face as she raced in front of him, tossing him to the ground. The bright flash as she released her transformation, and finally, she saw brilliant flames as they hit her square in the stomach.

 

Marinette crashed to the ground, a burning pain rooting itself in her stomach as she did so.

 

Vaguely, she could hear the scream of the Witch, she sounded pleased as her voice got fainter, no doubt fleeing the scene to cause more havoc elsewhere. She could smell burning clothes and flesh, right that.

 

"Ma-Marinette?!" Chat Noir came over to her, she could see his face in her fading vision.

 

"S-sorry... kitty... save Paris for me..." She couldn't breathe, it hurt so much. She was slipping from consciousness, but she had to hold on, she couldn't leave yet.

 

"Tikki, help me," she huffed, struggling with her earrings, Chat needed them if he was going to save Paris. The red kwami wordlessly agreed, helping the girl get the earrings off, before she retreated back into them.

 

"Marinette, what are you doing? Stop, Mari, you are going to be okay, please be okay." Chat demanded, he was fighting tears, his lady was being reckless.

 

"I will, this is... is a loan," her strength was fading, as well as herself.

 

Chat seemed to understand, taking the earrings with a nod. "I'll be back, I swear."

 

The next minutes seemed like a blur, Chat released Plagg from his transformation, telling the Kwami that God-like power wasn't needed for this akuma. The cat nodded, agreeing to keep watch on Marinette, her eyes closed and consciousness lost, but still breathing. Barely.

 

Adrien stuck the earrings in his ears, feeling slight pain as he created holes in his ears for the earrings to go.

 

Tikki popped out and told him to say "spots on" and to capture the akuma, the purification of it would save Marinette.

 

Adrien nodded, transforming and leaving to swing through the Parisian skies, he had no time to look back, or he'd lose Marinette.

 

He barely registered catching the Witch off guard, she had been flying through the skies and he only had to reach up and snag her shoes, throwing them over the edge of the building he was standing on and throwing them over the edge, catching the now possessed girl and setting her on the roof so he could capture and purify the akuma.

 

"W-where am I?"

 

"You're safe, okay? Go home and sleep." Adrien nodded, zipping off to check on Marinette.

 

They had a lot to talk about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you for part two in like, ten minutes lol, wow writing and editing chapters ahead of posting is really... RELAXING, goodness.


	14. I Have Been Changed for Good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part two of the angst prompt, yaaaaaay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Post-Reveal Fic -Wild-at-Heart14 (fanfiction dot net) part two, let's get this party started!!!!

Marinette was still lying there when Adrien got back to her. From the looks of it, her clothes and body were free of any burns or other worrisome wounds. But, she was still unconscious.

 

"Plagg, is... is she?" Adrien's question trailed off, unable to finish before falling to his knees next to the girl, emotions lost to him.

 

"Chill kid, she's just unconscious," Plagg shrugged, floating over to rest on Adrien's shoulder, tapping on the Ladybug earrings, "you should give them back, kid."

 

Adrien gave a nod, and carefully released Tikki from the Ladybug transformation. Tikki gave him a grateful look before Adrien took out the earrings and gave them back to their original owner.

 

When Tikki reappeared, she shooed both boys away, claiming that Marinette was going to wake any second and this wasn't a good time. Adrien was upset, but he understood that she would need rest before he talked to her.

 

*******

 

The next day, Marinette couldn't exactly put her finger on what happened yesterday, Tikki told her that the akuma had been taken care of and that her headache would eventually go away, but Marinette was still worrying about it. She couldn't even remember purifying the akuma, but there were signs that it had been purified, so she must have, right?

 

She didn't get the chance to think on it further when a light patter sounded above her head, too heavy to be birds and too late in the evening for it to be workers on the power cables.

 

Huffing, Marinette climbed up onto her ladder, crawled over her bed and up to the hatch to find out what in the world was above her bedroom.

 

When Marinette got on her roof, she was greeted by a nervous Chat Noir.

 

"Uh, what are you doing, Chat Noir?" She asked, her eyes wide with curiosity, why would Chat come to her, of all things to do and places to go, he comes to her house and seems to be looking for her if his nervousness was anything to judge by.

 

"Uh, I need to talk to you, Marinette." Chat looks anywhere but her, which worries Marinette. Chat was acting very unlike himself, she didn't know what to think, so she stayed where she was, peeking out of the hatch.

 

"Well, talk, I'm in my pajamas, so I'm not coming out," Marinette lied swiftly, she didn't trust him at the moment, if he were to pull something, she wanted to be near Tikki and an escape route.

 

"Marinette, how much do you remember of the akuma attack?"

 

"I... I was, I was at home, sewing a costume for a little girl I babysit. I don't know anything about it," It was Marinette's turn to look away, it wasn't a complete lie; Marinette really didn't know anything about the akuma, she had no memory after jumping from her window to rush towards the attack.

 

"Marinette, do you, not remember? At all?" Chat Noir seemed hurt, his cat ears seemed to droop alongside his shoulders and he slumped into the deck chair. This gave Marinette enough to come out of her room fully, Chat really did just want to talk after all.

 

"I'm, I'm sorry Marinette, I know you wanted to keep our identities a secret, but you told me yesterday. You saved my life and, and my kwami's life by telling me that you are Ladybug."

 

Marinette stopped in her tracks, Chat knew? How did, and why did she tell him? She looked at his wide, apologetic eyes and knew that everything he said had been true. And, and she couldn't remember a single detail. Chat's apologetic eyes turned to sorrowful ones, and he started to scoot off the deck chair, most likely planning to flee the scene.

 

"C-chat, I, I don't remember anything." Marinette admitted, closing the distance and placing a hand on her partner's shoulder, "but, I'm glad you told me what happened, Chat."

 

Chat looked up at her, eyes hopeful. Marinette smiled back, they'd get through this, together.

 

"My, my lady, I figure I should tell you what happened yesterday, but do you mind if I get more comfortable?"

 

"Of course, kitty," Marinette smiled, so Chat knew her identity, if anyone had to know it, she was glad that he knew.

 

Without warning, Chat Noir released his transformation, filling the small rooftop with a blinding green flash.

 

Marinette, startled, fell out off her heels and into a sitting position.

 

When Marinette collected herself she looked up and came face to face with- "Adrien?!"

 

"Heh, hey, Marinette, I uh, I thought it was only fair you knew who I was since, uh, you told me who you were...?" Adrien looked out of place, instead of the cool and collected boy Marinette knew from school, he looked completely exposed, nerves on edge.

 

Marinette couldn't believe her eyes, Adrien was Chat Noir? It made... it made absolute sense if she thought about it. Both boys were kind beyond their words, both had the biggest crush on Ladybug, and both were very honest and loyal, no matter the consequences. Marinette felt silly for not figuring it out sooner.

 

"Is, uh, is this okay?" Adrien coughed, pulling Marinette out of her head long enough for her brain to catch up to her situation.

 

Marinette began to laugh, grabbing onto Adrien's hand and tugging him into a hug. The boy was stiff at first, Marinette's laughter doing nothing to calm his nerves.

 

"Silly kitty," she huffed, out of breath from her laughing fit. And although she never saw it, Adrien's face lit up as he relaxed into the hug and the two went well into the night, talking and being closer than they had ever been, with or without masks.

 

*******

 

The next day, Marinette had a spring in her step, things were looking up in her life and she couldn't wait to feed Alya the story she and Adrien had crafted that morning at around one.

 

"Alya! Good morning!"

 

"What is this, Marinette showing up _before_ the bell?! Are you sure you aren't an akuma?" Alya laughed, slinging an arm around her friend's shoulder and leading the girl inside to their lockers.

 

"I'm fine, I just, I had a great night last night!" Marinette giggled, twisting the combo into her locker to put away her books for the afternoon.

 

"Really, why's that?" Alya asked, going to her own locker a few down to do the same.

 

"Well, I final-"

 

"Marinette! Good morning!" Marinette turned to see Adrien and Nino walking over to them, a similar spring in his step as he pulled Marinette into a side hug that turned into ruffling her hair.

 

"Adrien! I actually had time to brush my hair this morning, you jerk!" She laughed, shoving the boy off as he also giggled.

 

"Uh, girl, are you sure you're not an akuma?" Alya stared at the two with wide eyes, glancing at Nino who shrugged.

 

"I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen the texts, these two became friends over physics, of all things."

 

Marinette nodded, "I was going to tell you before _someone_ interrupted me!"

 

"Sorry, sorry, but yeah, we hung out for a while last night, and something just, clicked! I can't believe we haven't hung out before. I'm paws-itively sure we would've been best friends by the first week if we had!"

 

"Was... was that a cat pun?" Alya stood there, mouth hanging open, what was she seeing?

 

"Ugh yeah, inside joke." Marinette groaned, slamming her locker shut and walked away, "see you in class, dork!" She waved, forcing her blush down as Alya raced after her, tackling her and dragging her to the bathroom.

 

Nino whistled before turning to his locker, "man you should not have interrupted Marinette!"

 

*******

 

"Girl, explain, now! Yesterday you couldn't even look at him and now you're FLIRTING WITH HIM!?" Alya was passing, scaring some of the younger students, causing them to flee from the bathroom as fast as they could.

 

"Uh, yeah, he stopped in at the bakery and I was doing physics, but he corrected my equation, so uh, yeah. It just kind of happened? We swapped numbers and we texted back and forth as I tried to figure stuff out..."

 

"But, you two are like, very touchy feely with each other, that doesn't happen over text, girl." Alya huffed, sinking into the chair.

 

"Yeah, I didn't think so either, but that's just how he is," Marinette shrugged, leaning on the chair.

 

"And, I decided that, I don't really know him, so why try and date him? Why not be his friend first?"

 

Alya looked up at Marinette, and she knew that Marinette was being truthful.

 

"Okay, well, I won't question your methods, however long the plan might take." The two laughed and went to class, barely beating the bell as they sank into their chairs.

 

*******

 

"Marinette, can I talk to you for a second?" Adrien led the girl to a secluded corner near the science wing.

 

"Hey, what's up?" Marinette asked, looking up at Adrien with a small smile, it was still weird, thinking of him as her crush and her partner. She hoped she would get used to it after a while.

 

"Well, I was just thinking, why did we tell everyone we're just friends?"

 

"That's what we are, Adrien, just friends. For now." Marinette sighed, last night she had told him her true feelings, and he told her his. After that, Adrien asked her to be his girlfriend, and she declined, for the moment.

 

"Adrien, we need to get to know each other, the full person we love, you know that." Marinette scolded, fixing him with a glare.

 

"I know, I know," Adrien put his hands up in defeat, "it makes sense in my brain, but in my heart, it hurts." Adrien hung his head and sighed, Marinette's heartstrings tugging and pulling inside her chest. She knew exactly what he was talking about.

 

Marinette stood on her tiptoes and gave a small peck on his cheek, causing the blond's head to pop up and look at her wide eyed.

 

"How about a compromise? We be friends for two weeks, and then you may ask me out on a date if you still want to. And we can talk about it after that, okay?" Marinette giggled at the way Adrien's eyes lit up and he began to bounce as if he were a child you told could have five pieces of candy from their favorite candy store.

 

Marinette laughed and grabbed his arm, tugging him to their waiting friends with a light blush on her face, there was no doubt in her mind that in two weeks time, she was going to be asked out by the Adrien Agreste.

* * *


	15. Cool Beans and Mothman Machines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mothman? Coffee? Paris? Identity reveals? What more could you possibly want?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Halfway through this I realized that there’s no good reason for Mari to know about Mothman.   
>  I’ve got two requests left for this story, so if you have any requests, just send me a message or leave a review!  
> Prompt: MOTHMAN! CAFE! MOTHMAN CAFE! (LaVievecosplay and alapest)

Marinette was standing in line for the cafe, trying to decide what she wanted to drink. The new cafe had just opened and everyone was desperate to try it, including a certain blond classmate of Marinette’s.

 

“Marinette! Hey!” Marinette turned to see Adrien hope to the back of the line right behind her, a stunning smile plastered to his face, “glad to see a friendly face.”

 

Marinette smiled like an idiot, nodding her head too fast as she turned to face the boy, now was her chance to talk to him! But she wasn’t ready, what if she messed up her words and said something stupid and he laughed at her? What would they even talk about? Did he like talking to her or did he just want to figure out a drink in peace? What if she talked to him and he didn’t want to talk to her so he was angry with her and she’d never get to go on a date with him or marry him and she would die alone!

 

“Uh, Marinette, you okay?” Adrien’s gentle voice broke through Marinette’s spiraling thoughts and brought her back down to earth.

 

“Marinette, what do you recommend? I don’t usually drink coffee, maybe an iced coffee...” Adrien went on, scratching the back of his head sheepishly before grinning down at Marinette, sending butterflies through her heart.

 

“Do you like Mothman?” 

 

Marinette heard the words coming out of her mouth before she realized what she was saying. She wished she could take the words back, or dig herself into a hole, that question was plain ridiculous, Adrien probably didn’t even  _ know _ who Mothman was! He wasn’t from America, why would he know an American myth! She was totally embarrassed. 

 

“Mothman?” Adrien asked, gently guiding Marinette forward as the line shifted.

 

“U-uh y-yeah... He’s an American legend Alya told me about?” Marinette blushed, not daring to meet Adrien’s eyes incase he started laughing at her.

 

“Huh, tell me more!” Adrien smiled down at her, eyes bright and lighting a fire in Marinette’s heart.

 

She nodded and began to tell Adrien all about Mothman, and other legends she had learned about from Alya, quietly sending her best friend a mental thanks for giving her something to talk about with Adrien.

 

They eventually made it up to the front, Adrien insisting that he pay for them both, saying that Marinette had been so nice to actually talk with him while they waited in line. Marinette blushed but accepted the coffee. Adrien led the way out of the cafe and onto the streets.

 

As they wandered the streets of Paris, Marinette got more comfortable with Adrien, opening up and talking more confidently as they strolled. 

 

Eventually, the two got onto the topic of akumas and the heroes of Paris.

 

“So, wait, Marinette, I’ve never actually seen you during an akuma attack!” Adrien laughed, turning to look at the girl in mock-seriousness, “what are your secrets?” He joked.

 

Marinette blushed and turned her head away, “I’m just really good at hide and seek.”

 

The two fell quiet, standing awkwardly in front of Marinette’s house. Neither really wanted to leave, they had been having a nice time wandering the streets of Paris. Eventually, Marinette coughed, causing the two teens to fall into a fit of giggles. 

 

“Alright, I’ve got to go, catch ya later, Mothman,” Adrien waved, turning to leave.

 

“S-see ya, cool beans,” Marinette teased hesitantly, recalling the joke he said at the cafe earlier. Adrien grinned widely at the nickname, waving enthusiastically as he ran off to his home. 

 

*******

 

Later that night, Ladybug stood on a random roof, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for Chat Noir to show up. 

 

“My lady! Sorry I’m late!” Chat greeted, skidding across the roof to stand next to Ladybug.

 

“It’s fine, but we’ve gotta get a move.” Ladybug replied, getting ready to spring across the rooftops and patrol the sleepy Paris in the lowlight of Midnight. 

 

Chat Noir followed her closely, talking about this and that, Ladybug wasn’t paying attention much, trying to mentally go over the test she had in the morning.

 

“-and then! And then my friend told me all about this thing called ‘Mothman’, oh man get a load of this guy, Bugaboo.”

 

Ladybug nearly fell off the roof at the mention of the American cryptid. How did Chat Noir know about that? There’s no possible way... Right?

 

“Ladybug? Are you okay?” Chat Noir asked, grabbing her wrist and helping her back onto the roof, confusion written all over his face.

 

Ladybug studied his face, trying to convince herself that it wasn’t the boy who always sat in front of her, every class. The blond boy she was totally in love with. The boy she had spent all day telling stories of Mothman and sipping coffee around Paris. 

 

There was only one way she could know if it was Adrien, but if she did take that risk, he would know. And then what?

 

“Thanks for the save... cool beans.” 

 

Chat Noir’s eyes grew bigger as he gapped at the girl standing before him, and that was all the confirmation she needed. Slamming her foot down she let out a string of curses.

 

“Son of a  _ biscuit _ !” She brushed passed her companion, muttering to herself all the while, ranting about how she should have known. Chat Noir, on the other hand, just stared at her, trying to figure out everything that just happened. 

 

He didn’t have time to process before Ladybug, or Marinette? Oh this was confusing, the dark haired girl whirled around and faced him, her cheeks rosy red from what looked to be embarrassment. 

 

“Cha- Adrien, go home, we can talk about this tomorrow.”

 

Adrien watched as she ran to the edge of the roof, heading in the direction of her home.

 

“Cat-ch ya, Mothman!” He called after her, overjoyed when she turned around with a goofy grin on her face to respond.

 

“See ya, cool beans.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two more then I’ll be out of prompts, so send me some prompts, the sillier the better! Prompts can be sent via review, private message or hmu on tumblr @trash-4-trash-son!

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on tumblr @the-majestic-space-pigeon! Requests for this story are open! So feel free to request something if you don't see it here! See you in the next chapter!


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